Klarinet Archive - Posting 000769.txt from 1999/05

From: robert shaw <theshaws@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Tonguing
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 18:08:15 -0400

I just wanted to add a few thoughts about tonguing, though I do not
claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination. Many times I
find that what holds my students (and myself) back from tonguing a
passage at a fast tempo is the coordination between the tongue and the
fingers. If you consider that "tongue-hand" coordination is not really
an innate skill that most people learn, it is easier to be patient and
work on the skill.
The technique that I have learned and teach is something that my
teacher calls pre-fingering. This is a skill that he learned from his
teacher-Stanley Hasty. It involves setting the metronome at 60 and
playing each note as one beat. The idea is to move your finger while
your tongue is down, depressing the reed, without stopping the
airstream. After the finger has finished its movement, the tongue can
then be lifted and let the note that is being fingered sound. This
process continues until the entire passage has been played. This
process can be tiring, but really gets results. The fingers and tongue
move at different times, not similtaneously. Once this coordination
is done successfully several times, the passage can be sped up,
sometimes to tempo immediately!
I am sorry that this explanation is not a good one. The technique
is one that needs to be demonstrated. It sure has worked for me! Is
anyone else familiar with this technique?

Deborah

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